Preventable illnesses and accidents constitute a large percentage of US healthcare costs. Although many illnesses and accidents are preventable, most available healthcare dollars are spent on illnesses and restoration while only a very small percentage of healthcare dollars are devoted to prevention. One way to substantially reduce healthcare costs in the US is to prevent illnesses and accidents from occurring. Because preventive efforts can have a substantial impact on healthcare costs, many companies that cover the healthcare costs of individuals and groups of individuals have introduced “wellness incentives” to their covered members, employees, etc.
Preventive efforts that many companies have adopted include having individuals complete health risk assessments and participate in health management programs for various illnesses and diseases. Wellness incentives are tied to the preventive efforts, and individuals are rewarded when they complete or participate in a specified activity. Point values may be assigned to various activities and awarded to individuals when they complete or participate in the activities. Points may then be redeemed for items such as sporting goods, electronics, house wares, etc. or discounts or gift certificates to national or specialty retailers. The array of reward options available to individuals may be significant to increase the likelihood that each individual finds an item that he or she likes and for which he or she is willing to work.
Although many companies have adopted wellness incentive or reward programs to reward individuals for participation in various healthy activities, typically the various health activities are not appropriate for all individuals. Each covered member may have specific health needs based on sex, age, and known health conditions (e.g., diagnosed illnesses or diseases, chronic conditions, etc.) Certain disease management programs may be appropriate for some members while informational or exercise programs may be appropriate for other members. It is important for individuals to be directed to the program or programs that meet their needs. Members are more likely to participate in programs that meet their needs and that are beneficial to them and therefore, increase the likelihood that they will receive a reward.
Health reward systems and methods today typically rely on individuals to select and enroll in programs of their own choosing. Individuals may be provided with information about various health programs and encouraged to participate in specific programs based on their known health conditions. For a variety of reasons, however, they may choose not to participate. Some individuals may not see a need to participate in the programs. Other individuals may not understand the health benefits of the programs. For some individuals, the availability of a health benefit may simply not be enough to encourage them to participate, even if the program is appropriate. Finally, when presented with so many different programs and options, they may not understand which programs actually meet their needs and therefore, simply choose not to participate at all.
There is a need for a computerized health behavior reward system and method that allows individuals to learn about and earn rewards for participating in various health programs. There is a need for a computerized health behavior reward system and method that matches individuals to appropriate health programs, offers them opportunities to enroll and participate, and rewards them for enrolling and participating. There is a need for a computerized health behavior reward system and method that uses various criteria to segment a member population into various groups according to their needs and to offer activity rewards based on groups. There is a need for a computerized health behavior reward system and method that records data related to enrollment and participation activities for various health programs and that evaluates the program participation data to determine whether additional programs may be appropriate for an individual. There is a need for a computerized health behavior reward system and method that encourages individuals to become engaged in their own health by rewarding them for participation in a variety of health programs.